Denise Copeland/Betty the BikeThis red Vermont dairy barn is just one of the sights along the Missisquoi Valley Rail Trail.

The second trail we tried out on our long weekend trip to Vermont at the end of this past August, the Missisquoi Valley Rail Trail runs through a very rural area of northern Vermont, with the trailhead about 30 minutes north of relatively busy Burlington.

This is a fairly long trail; 26 miles from St. Albans to Richford … we did a bit over half the length before returning to the truck for a round trip of 28 miles.

The trail bed is crushed gravel, and fairly well-maintained. Road crossings are minor for the most part, though there are a couple of busier highway crossings starting at about 6 miles out where you may have to dismount and wait a bit.

The ride out is disarmingly flat and easy, with few noticeable hills … you really don’t notice the long down-grade that you are actually riding as you pass through beautiful open farmland, cool shady forests and the interesting small rural towns. Black-and-white cows and picturesque red barns dot the landscape, and you encounter very few other users on the trail.

With the mostly unbroken length of the trail, we probably went out further than we should have on an exploratory ride. There was definite payback on the return trip … now a long, steady uphill grade for miles. We weren’t climbing any mountains, but we were definitely thigh shattered and sweat-soaked by the end of the return trip.

The first three miles away from St. Alban’s are through open farmlands, with only a few small gravel farm roads to cross until we got to Green’s Corners, where we crossed VT 105. At this crossing is an interesting old cemetery with great views of a large red barn of the type typically associated with Vermont.

Just past the crossing is a farm gate that closes off the trail when the cows need to cross the pathway on their way to and from the red barn. After this, we entered the Swanton Wetlands, which was a bit shadier – a welcome respite from the summer heat.

At the bottom of a short hill is an idyllic dell, with an inviting picnic bench and a great view of a rustic split rail fence framing green fields along the edge of a pond. Almost too perfect, this is a great spot to take a breather, and a few photos.

Denise Copeland/Betty the BikeThe view from the picnic bench near the aptly named Sweet Hollow Road.

Back on the trail, it now passes through the woods, alongside homes and horse pastures … be on the watch for local children playing on the pathway.

At just past 7 miles, we came to another crossing of VT 105, and rolled through the town of Sheldon Springs, then a bit further on we came onto the old railroad bridge that crosses over the Missisquoi River into Sheldon Junction, where the future Lamoille Valley Rail Trail will cross paths with the MVRT. The wide bridge is another great place to take a rest – and more photos.

Not too far past the bridge, we came to a dirt crossroads at a processing plant. The trail looks like it runs off to the far right … don’t take that, as you’ll end up in the middle of corn fields.

Instead, keep going straight ahead onto what looks like a wide driveway to the right of the large white building. Ahead on the left is an old bus shelter with trail sponsor signs on it, and then the trail continues between the high rows of corn.

At about mile 10 we noticed that we were fairly high up, overlooking the rapids of the Missisquoi River, with stunning views out over the valley.

A little bit further on is the Abbey Restaurant at North Sheldon – very friendly to trail users, they’ll refill your water bottles and allow free use of their restrooms. There are bike racks and a gazebo overlooking the river to take a break in.

Past the Abbey, the trail becomes wooded again. We passed a solitary picnic bench in the trees on the right, and soon after we decided to begin the ride back as the afternoon shadows were beginning to get long.

As I said earlier, we were not really aware that we had ridden mostly downhill almost all the way out, and now faced a mostly uphill trek back to the starting point. We had ridden out 14 miles – and it was a long hard way back into the sun!

The Missisquoi Valley Rail Trail is great for really getting away from the hustle and bustle, and for being able to ride a long virtually uninterrupted distance. We’ll definitely be back – perhaps beginning the ride nearer the middle to see what the rest of the trail is like.

Trailhead used: St. Alban’s

Directions: To reach the St. Albans trailhead, take Interstate 89 to Exit 20 and follow US Route 7 south to State Route 105/Sheldon Road. Just at the corner, you’ll see a trail sign with a bike on top of it, next to a narrow diagonal drive that looks like the trail itself … it’s not – go ahead up the drive into the small parking area.

There’s a bike rack and picnic table there, but no facilities. About a mile up the trail is a very newly-built multi-toilet facility, but on the day we were there (Sunday, 8/30) it was locked up tight. Don’t know if it’s not completed, not actually for trail use, or just wasn’t open that day.

St. Albans’ small downtown offered us a wonderfully casual post-ride dinner at friendly Mimmo’s Pizza, and very near the trail head was a car wash where we were able to clean the thick coating stone dust off the bikes so that we didn’t trail it back into our hotel room.

Recommended for: mountain and hybrid bikes; is kid-friendly (but watch the distances, and remember the ride back is mostly uphill!)